The Afghan Campaign

Washington, DC

War Studies Advanced Program 2015

In this War Studies Advanced Program, Drs. Frederick and Kimberly Kagan, who spent 15 months in Afghanistan working with General David Petraeus and General John Allen, will examine America’s campaign in Afghanistan. Balancing history, theory, and military strategy, this seminar will consider the U.S.-led coalition’s objectives, the lasting legacies of the Cold War, and the specificities of Afghanistan’s tribal society and regional dynamics.

Faculty

James M. Dubik

LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and a Professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. General Dubik has extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, Honduras, and in many NATO countries.

Featured Publication

2016

Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory

James M. Dubik

LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and a Professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. General Dubik has extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, Honduras, and in many NATO countries.

His last job on active duty was as Commanding General of the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I) and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq during the Surge of 2007–2008. He is a member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and a distinguished member of the U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment.

General Dubik taught Philosophy at West Point and Campaign Theory and Practice at the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has completed an MIT fellowship program for national security studies as well as executive programs in national security at Harvard’s JFK School of Government and Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is the author, most recently, of Just War Reconsidered: Strategy, Ethics, and Theory.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania; a Masters in Military Arts and Sciences from the Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins University.

Frederick W. Kagan

Frederick W. Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program at the Institute for the Study of War. The author of the 2007 report “Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq,” he is one of the intellectual architects of the successful “surge” strategy in Iraq. He is the director of AEI’s Critical Threats Project.

Featured Publication

2006

The End of the Old Order

Frederick W. Kagan

Frederick W. Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program at the Institute for the Study of War. The author of the 2007 report “Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq,” he is one of the intellectual architects of the successful “surge” strategy in Iraq. He is the Robert H. Malott Chair and Director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

In 2009, he served in Kabul, Afghanistan, as part of General Stanley McChrystal’s strategic assessment team, and he returned to Afghanistan in 2010, 2011, and 2012 to conduct research for Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. In July 2011, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen awarded him the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the Chairman can present to civilians who do not work for the Department of Defense, for his volunteer service in Afghanistan.

He is coauthor of the report Defining Success in Afghanistan(AEI and the Institute for the Study of War, 2010) and author of the series of reportsChoosing Victory (AEI), which recommended and monitored the US military surge in Iraq. His most recent book is Lessons for a Long War: How America Can Win on New Battlefields(AEI Press, 2010, with Thomas Donnelly). Previously an associate professor of military history at West Point, Dr. Kagan is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard and has written for Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other periodicals.

He holds a Ph.D. from Yale University in Russian and Soviet military history.

Kimberly Kagan

Kimberly Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program and founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War. She is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale, Georgetown, and American University.

Featured Publication

2017

U.S. Grand Strategy: Destroying ISIS and Al Qaeda

Kimberly Kagan

Kimberly Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program and founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War. She is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale, Georgetown, and American University.

Dr. Kagan served in Kabul for seventeen months from 2010 to 2012 working for commanders of the International Security Assistance Force, General David H. Petraeus and subsequently General John Allen. Admiral Mike Mullen, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recognized Dr. Kagan for this deployment as a volunteer with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the Chairman can present to civilians who do not work for the Department of Defense.

Dr. Kagan previously served as a member of General Stanley McChrystal’s strategic assessment team, comprised of civilian experts, during his campaign review in June and July 2009. She conducted many regular battlefield circulations of Iraq between May 2007 and April 2010 while General Petraeus and General Raymond T. Odierno served as the MNF-I Commanding General.

Dr. Kagan held an Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Military History at Yale International Security Studies in 2004 to 2005 and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies in 2002 to 2003. She received her B.A. in Classical Civilization and her Ph.D. in History from Yale University.

What are the most significant risks and opportunities for U.S. aims post-2014?

What is the best approach toward a favorable and durable outcome in Afghanistan from a U.S. perspective, Afghan government perspective, Taliban perspective?

What were the major achievements and shortcomings of the Afghan government from 2001-2009?

What are risks and opportunities associated with China’s increased interest in Afghanistan?

Alumni Spotlight

Chris Barefoot

Chris Barefoot, an officer in the U.S. Army, participated in the inaugural class of the War Studies Program. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 2014, he commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Army and went on to lead an Infantry Platoon in the 82nd Airborne division.

“It was without a doubt the most influential and beneficial learning experience I’ve had thus far, despite the fact that it was only two weeks long. It continues to shape the way I view warfare and combat leadership in general. It absolutely set the standard for me in terms of what it means to understand and appreciate a subject in depth. ”

Chris Barefoot

Current Position:

Officer, U.S. Army

Past:

Platoon Leader, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army

Education:

Virginia Military Institute

Chris Barefoot, an officer in the U.S. Army, participated in the inaugural class of the War Studies Program. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 2014, he commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Army and went on to lead an Infantry Platoon in the 82nd Airborne division.

HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT THE HERTOG FOUNDATION? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO APPLY?

My academic advisor and mentor, Brigadier General (retired) Charles F. Brower IV, heard about ISW’s first ever Hertog War Studies Program through Dr. Kim Kagan, and strongly encouraged me to apply. His recommendation would have been reason enough, but after I read over the program’s curriculum, I recognized immediately that it had the potential to be a key educational opportunity in my career.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH. HOW DOES HERTOG FIT INTO YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS?

I commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Army in the spring of 2014. I’ve had the privilege of seeing a lot of new places across the country and around the world by jumping out of a C-17 with some of our nation’s best.

The Hertog War Studies Program allowed me to access some of the greatest military leadership of our generation in a small-group setting prior to my commissioning. The curriculum delved deeply into a subject matter usually taught only to officers far beyond my current grade and experience level. I would say it placed me far beyond my peers in terms of knowledge of the nature of warfare, civil-military relations, and technology’s role in shaping conflict, just to name a few. It was a game-changer.

WHAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY ABOUT YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HERTOG PROGRAMS?

It was without a doubt the most influential and beneficial learning experience I’ve had thus far, despite the fact that it was only two weeks long. It continues to shape the way I view warfare and combat leadership in general; I still have my workbook and look over my notes frequently. The other participants were brilliant, and the level of instruction was exemplary. My only regret is that I’ve not been able to experience anything like it since.

DO YOU THINK HERTOG PROGRAMS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN MILITARY SERVICE?

I consider it to have been central to my personal and professional development. As an aspiring member of the Armed Services, there simply is no better way to spend two weeks. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? IN A SIMILAR JOB, OR EMBARKING ON SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

For the time being, I plan to stay in the Army for as long as I have the privilege of doing so. In any event, I will stay as active in the Hertog community.

American Grand Strategy

World Order & American Foreign Policy

Explore the nature of the world order and America’s role in shaping it.

Gen. David Petraeus

General (Ret) David H. Petraeus is Chairman of the KKR Global Institute. Prior to joining KKR, Gen. Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of coalition forces during the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Michael Doran

Michael Doran, an expert in U.S. policy toward the Middle East, radical Islam, and the Arab- Israeli conflict, is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC. He has also held a number of senior U.S. government posts related to Middle East policy and strategic communication.

John R. Allen

John R. Allen is President of the Brookings Institution and a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general. He previously served as commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and special presidential envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL.

James M. Dubik

LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and a Professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. General Dubik has extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, and in many NATO countries.

Frederick W. Kagan

Frederick W. Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program at the Institute for the Study of War. The author of the 2007 report “Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq,” he is one of the intellectual architects of the successful “surge” strategy in Iraq. He is the director of AEI’s Critical Threats Project.

Kimberly Kagan

Kimberly Kagan is a Senior Instructor with the Hertog War Studies Program and founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War. She is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale, Georgetown, and American University.

Lewis Libby

Lewis Libby is Senior Vice President of Hudson Institute. Before joining Hudson, Libby held several high level positions in the federal government related to his current work on national security and homeland security affairs.

Paul Wolfowitz

Paul Wolfowitz is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He spent more than three decades in public service and higher education. Most recently, he served as president of the World Bank and deputy secretary of defense.

Aaron Friedberg

Aaron L. Friedberg is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of the Woodrow Wilson School’s Center for International Security Studies. Dr. Friedberg served as Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs in the office of the Vice President.

Robert Kagan

Robert Kagan is a senior fellow with the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. He is a contributing columnist at The Washington Post. His most recent book is The New York Times bestseller, The World America Made.